Some Of Your Favorite Web Sites Are ‘Dark’ Today

Have you found it more difficult to surf web sites today?  I mean, have you found that some just don't work?  I did.  I tried to use Wikipedia for some research and nothing.  It was dark?  And, if you search using Google, check it out...they've blacked out their logo.

More than a dozen websites have gone dark today to protest a pair of controversial anti-piracy bills they claim will gut the Internet and stifle free speech.

USA Today reports that Wikipedia, Moveon.org, Craigslist, user-submitted news site Reddit, the blog Boing Boing and the Cheezburger network of comedy sites planned to participate in a blackout to protest the Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA) and Protect IP Act (PIPA) bills.

Now, these proposed bills are widely backed by the film and music industries and are aimed at halting sales of pirated products abroad.

Google, Facebook and Twitter, all of whom oppose SOPA, are not participating in the blackout but have expressed their displeasure. In a letter to U.S. senators and House members, they said they "cannot support these bills as written and ask that you consider more targeted ways to combat foreign 'rogue' websites dedicated to copyright infringement and trademark counterfeiting."

Wikipedia CEO Jimmy Wales was very  blunt in a tweet: "I hope Wikipedia [users] will melt phone systems" of politicians who are in favor of SOPA.

In Washington, the Obama administration, on Saturday, came out against Domain Name System provisions in the bill that would have required Internet search giants and Internet providers to block foreign websites accused of piracy.

In apparent response to the rising backlash, congressional backers of the bills have pulled out the DNS requirements. The moves are seen as a way to appease tech companies.

Who knows how this will all shake out, but in the mean time, keep your cool surfing and researching on the internet today.